Page 66 of Bad Boy Crush

Elli stood to kiss her fiancé, and there was a shift in the air. It was time to leave their friends alone to properly celebrate their engagement.

“We are going to head out.” Lou stood. “Thank you for dinner.”

“You don’t have to leave,” Elli said.

“Yeah, we do.” Ant kissed her forehead. “Congrats, Beemer.”

“I’ll pick up my dishes tomorrow.” Lou hugged them both. The dog let out a happy bark, chasing Ant and Lou halfway to her house before turning back.

“Did you know?” she asked Ant after the dog had scampered off.

“Not until we cleared the table.”

“Good for them.” She meant it. Just because her marriage hadn’t ended well didn’t mean Brady and Elliott wouldn’t stand the test of time. They were made for each other.

“He asked me to be a groomsman.” Ant grasped her hand as they walked. “I have to rent a tux.”

“You’re in the wedding?” Not that she was surprised. He’d been in her wedding too. He was the kind of friend who stepped up for his friends.

“Jealous?”

“Are you kidding? I’ll probably be standing up there across from you.”

“I’d like that.” He kissed her hand.

He’d worn a tux to her wedding, looking more dapper than he’d had a right to. It might have been the first time she’d seen him without a hat.

“At least a tux is a rental,” she said as they climbed her back patio stairs. “Bridesmaid’s dresses are forever.”

But her mind wasn’t on the investment of a bridesmaid’s dress. Instead, she was remembering Ant at her reception. The evening had been a blur, but a few moments stood out in her memory.

Her aunt Lonna dropping her slice of wedding cake on the dance floor, Liam’s father complaining about the band, and Ant, who’d smelled of whiskey when he hugged her at the reception.

She’d never seen him drink hard liquor before, so the scene had thrown her. She’d overlooked his condition, blaming the open bar. Then she’d thanked him for being there for her and Liam’s big day. As she replayed the memory now, something new occurred to her.

He’d been sad.

“They’ll probably plan ahead. Get married next summer or fall.” He slid open the patio door for her, but her mind was on the past.

He opened her fridge and pulled out a cheesecake she’d picked up at Sugar Hi. He cut them each a slice, musing that he’d likely be on the hook for a wedding arch.

“Too bad you sold yours, huh? It could have been repurposed.” He smiled—easygoing, carefree Ant.

…Who’d saved himself for her when he’d learned she was divorced? Is that why their timelines of celibacy lined up? Had he been sad at her wedding because he believed he had missed his chance with her?

Years I’ve dreamed of doing that.

He placed a plate and a fork in front of her. “Brady was for-real worried Beemer would tell him no. I knew she would say yes. He won her over a long time ago.”

Lou offered a wan smile. Had Ant done the same with her? Waited and bided his time until he’d won her over? Was he also planning a future with her without her knowledge?

More importantly, was she ready for a future with him?

nineteen

“I don’t know what you were worried about, man.” Donovan Pate, arms folded, inspected the large wooden sculpture in front of him.

“Because I’m usually commissioned to carve owls or wolves or dragons. Not—” Ant gestured at the piece. “Ocean waves.”